That One Setback
by RoseRune
Summary: "I'm so tired of this crap! His stupid tosses are impossible to hit, yet he never changes them. It's always "Faster!" and "Match my tosses!" with him. Oikawa-senpai was so much better! He was encouraging, and nowhere near as rude. All Kageyama does is boss us around, like a dictator! A true "King of the Court!"
1. Chapter 1

Kageyama, in his entire volleyball career, has only had one true setback, the game where he was sent to the bench (the incident with Oikawa hurt, but wasn't too damaging). That setback, was THAT game. The one where when he tossed, nobody was there. Kageyama had tried making his teammates his friends, but apparently, his offers of extra practice only annoyed them. The rejection of his toss, the one he spent hundreds of hours practicing, ruined his life. Kageyama quit the team, became depressed,and developed anxiety and trust issues.

When time came to choose a high school, he specifically chose Kurasuno because the volleyball team was no longer worth noticing, and it was unlikely anyone would know him as the "King of the Court".

King of the Court. The nickname that he hated more than anything else in the world. He knew he was socially awkward, but he had tried. Tried being friendly like Oikawa (his role model/idol) who everyone loved, but it only made his teammates avoid and despise him even more.

The day he heard that hated nickname, practice had just ended, and he was the only one left in the gym. As he went outside to fill up his water bottle, he heard one of his teammates complaining.

"I'm so tired of this crap! His stupid tosses are impossible to hit, yet he never changes them. It's always "Faster!" and "Match my tosses!" with him. Oikawa-senpai was so much better! He was encouraging, and nowhere near as rude. All Kageyama does is boss us around, like a dictator! A true "King of the Court!"

Hearing those words had shattered him. Kageyama stopped trying to connect with his teammates, and became even more overbearing. His desire to win grew stronger, and he stopped caring about anything but volleyball, dedicating at least 6 to 7 hours to practice everyday. To his everlasting annoyance, the nickname caught on, and every day all he heard was "King of the Court!". Kageyama's resentment for his teammates grew,and his treatment of them became even worse.

-Time Skip-

It had been about a month since school started, and he had successfully blended in with the students at school, and hadn't joined any clubs. His days were monotonous, a routine that never changed. It was currently the lunch break, so he was eating alone outside, just like usual. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a volleyball came flying into his face. He ended up on the ground, looking up into the blue sky with a dazed look on his face. He groaned, and heard a panicked

"I am so sorry! Are you alright?" from somewhere behind him.

Kageyama sat up, and said "I'm fine, but watch it!" to the red haired shrimp who had hit him. The little shrimp was followed by a older looking boy with silver hair.

The older one said with a gentle smile "I'm sorry about that, Hinata isn't to used to playing with a setter, so he's a bit uncoordinated right now. I'm Sugawara Koshi, third year. Do you need to go to the nurse?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you.I'm Kageyam Tobio, it's nice to meet you." Kageyama replied politely.

He stood up, brushing off some grass. "Now, please do excuse me, I have to be somewhere."

Kageyama quickly left, heading back to his class. Later that day, as school ended, Kageyama was stopped by the red hair shrimp, Hinata.

"Hey Kageyama! I'm sorry about earlier, I tend to get too excited whenever I'm playing volleyball. Anyways, would you mind going to practice with me? Captain Daichi asked me to find you, because he also wanted to apologize I guess."

Kageyama sighed, "It really wasn't a big deal. Your captain doesn't need to apologize, I'm fine!"

Hinata shrugged, "I asked around, and heard that you weren't in any clubs. Would you like to join the volleyball club? You're pretty tall, and I'm sure that you could learn fast!" Before Kageyama could reply, Hinata grabbed his arm and started pulling towards the direction of the gym, chattering on about becoming the "Little Giant" or something.

When they arrived at the gym, the captain did apologize, but also invited him to stay and watch a practice, hoping that he would be interested. Kageyama sighed, but decided to stay, since it had been a long time since he saw a team play. He sat off to the side of the court, and was actually enjoying himself when once again, a ball came flying at him. Years of habit took over, and he immediately dived for it, sending it back perfectly towards the setter.

As he stood back up, he found the team staring at him in shock. Kageyama blushed, knowing that he would probably be bombarded with questions now. He was right.

"Kageyama! Kageyama! You didn't tell me you could play! You should join the club!" Hinata blurted out, jumping up and down in excitement.

"I'm sorry, but I no longer play. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go." Kageyama said, picking up his bag and leaving quickly.

-Back in the gym-

"So, my suspicions were correct. That was the "King of the Court" from Kitagawa Daiichi. He was a genius setter, but was taken off the team due to inability to work with his teammates. His signature move was a toss so quick that no one, not even his teammates could hit it. During his last game, the team rejected his toss, and the coaches sent him to the bench. I heard that he quit after that," Tsukishima mused.

"Suga and I watched one of his games once. He was clearly the best player on his team, but it seemed like the others resented him for it." Daiichi added.

"But if he's so good, why didn't he join the team?" Hinata asked, rather cluelessly.

"Volleyball is probably associated with some painful memories Hinata, so don't go off bothering him about joining!" warned Sugawara.

Hinata nodded, but left practice with a rather mischievous smirk.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Hinata immediately went looking for Kageyama. Turns out, he was an extreme loner. It wasn't until someone finally recognized the name and described him as "that creepy guy who never talks to anyone" that Hinata found Kageyama. Kageyama was sitting outside, under a tree, sipping at a milk carton.

"Hi!" Hinata beamed, bouncing up to him. "Are you doing anything right now?"

Kageyama looked up, utterly confused. "No, I'm not. What do you want?"

"Well, I need someone to practice with me."

"Can't you ask your teammates?" Kageyama ground out, crushing the milk box.

"Well, Tsukishima is a real jerk, and Yamaguchi is always with him. I don't really know the second years, and the third years are scary!" Hinata blushed, fiercely resembling a tomato.

"Didn't the vice captain practice with you? He's a third year." Kageyama pointed out.

"Wellllllllllll, I don't want to keep bothering Suga-san. He's a third year, so he's really busy."

"What makes you think that I'm not busy?"

"I asked around, and it turns out that you're not in any clubs, and you don't have any friends. You have nothing better to do, so why don't you teach me? Besides, if you don't help me, I'll keep bothering you!" Hinata pleaded.

Kageyama smirked, looking even more terrifying than he usually does. "If you want me to teach you, don't complain to me. You asked for it!"

\- "Dumbass!" - "Dumbass!"- "Dumbass!"-

"I have no idea how you are so incredibly bad! I'm tossing extremely slowly, and yet you still can't hit it. Any slower and the ball will just drop to the ground!" Kageyama sighed, looking more frustrated than ever, the ever present scowl fixed firmly on his face.

"I'm trying! Spiking isn't that easy, and I'm still not used to having an actual setter set for me." Hinata huffed, throwing out a glare of his own.

Kageyama stared at Hinata, frustration evident on his face. "Why is this so hard for you? At this rate, you would have a better chance of hitting the ball if you don't look and just jump!"

"Fine. I will, and if you're so good, I would actually be able to hit it!"

"I am good! If you actually swing, I'll make sure you hit it."

Both boys were huffing angrily, trying to catch their breath, when Hinata finally straightened up, and still glaring angrily, started running, and jumped.

BAM

Hinata landed, and looked at his red palm, utterly confused. "I...I actually hit it!"

He began jumping up and down, absolutely thrilled.

"Why are you so surprised? I told you I'm good." Kageyama smirked.

"This is amazing! I just jumped, and my hand went GWAH! We have to do this again!"

"'You have to come to practice with me! We have to show this to the senpais! I'm sure they'll let you stay. Come on, come on, COME ON!"

"I'm not interested in going." With that, Kageyama completely killed the mood and left.

Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long, school has been killing me. As always, reviews and suggestions are appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

"Kageyama is such a stupid jerk!" Hinata muttered to himself, stomping angrily on his way to practice.

"Why the frown Hinata?" Suga asked gently.

"I got Kageyama to practice with me, and he's amazing, but whatever I say, he won't join the team!"

"You can't force someone to play. However, why don't ask him to come and watch our practices? If he doesn't want to play, we won't make him. Besides, it will be nice to have someone experienced who can help us out. I'm sure Daichi would agree."

-The Next Day-

"Sorry I'm late everyone!" Hinata burst in, dragging Kageyama behind him. Kageyama looked absolutely furious. His eye was twitching, and he looked like he was going to explode when he took a deep breath, shocking everyone, and nodded politely.

"I apologize for the disturbance. Please don't mind me." Bowing quickly, Kageyama walked over to the bench, putting his stuff down.

"Alright then everyone, let's get started!" Daichi ordered.

"HAI!"

The team had split up, and all of the first years were working with Suga so he could figure out their preferences for when they spike. It was Yamaguchi's turn, and Tsukishima, bored, turned around to harass Hinata.

"So, why is the famous king of the court here?"

"That's none of your business!"

"He's staring very intently at us. That's kind of creepy, and it pisses me off."

"Daichi asked him to watch our practices, so of course he's staring!"

"The king looks like he wants to tear us to pieces."

"It's not his fault! That's his natural state."

Tsukishima sneered condescendingly, and Hinata froze, then shivered. He turned around, and found the King of the Court's eyes locked onto him.


	4. Chapter 4

Kageyama enjoyed watching Karasuno's practices. The familiar rhythms of the game soothed him, welcomed him like an old friend. The sound of the ball slapping against skin, the sound it made when slammed against the ground, and the groans and cheers that followed it all filled him with warmth. Volleyball was his life. The first thing that he had ever asked for as a child was a volleyball. He had fallen in love with the sport very early on, and he couldn't remember a life without volleyball. From the moment he first touched a volleyball, his whole life has revolved around it. His spare time was spent practicing or watching videos of games. When he was in school, he constantly daydreamed about playing, imagining ways to improve. Watching Hinata play was like a flashback to the past for Kageyama.

Back when volleyball meant nothing but joy to him. Every single play brought forth a fresh burst of excitement, of adrenaline and joy. Hinata's eyes were bright with passion, and he flew around the court like he was a bird. Hinata wanted to learn everything that he possibly could, and he had a deep love for the game that was rare. Hinata was like Kageyama back in the old days, before volleyball meant pain and sorrow and betrayal all mixed up in a confusing knot of emotion. When Kageyama was a first year at Kitagawa Daichii, he was overjoyed to be on such a good team. Oikawa had already made a name for himself as a skilled setter, and Kageyama wanted to be exactly like him. Oikawa was his hero. Kageyama wanted to play just like him, strong and skilled. Everyone on the team liked him, and Kageyama wanted nothing more than to be like that.

His first year was amazing. He made his first friends, Kunimi and Kindaichi, and the older members of the team were amused by his enthusiasm. Despite Oikawa's constant rejection, Kageyama wasn't dejected because Oikawa's best friend Iwaizumi didn't seem to hate him, so it must have meant that he was doing something right and that Oikawa was just testing him. So Kageyama kept up his constant requests to Oikawa for guidance, and when he was rejected, continued to observe Oikawa closely and did his best to learn. When one day, Oikawa finally lost his temper and tried to hit him, Kageyama was crushed. This was his hero, the perfect setter. Oikawa was kind to everyone, and for him to hate Kageyama so much, Kageyama thought that he must have been a horrible person. He tried desperately to change himself, to show Oikawa that he wasn't a horrible person. He spent more and more time practicing, trying to perfect his techniques. When the other players refused to practice with him, fed up with his constant requests, he practiced by himself, taping water bottles to various spots on the walls to practice his aim or just imagining where they would be. He withdrew from the world, stopped hanging out with Kunimi and Kindaichi in favor of practicing even more. He was still shy and awkward, but when Kunimi and Kindaichi stopped trying to connect with him, he became even more painfully awkward. Communicating with people very rarely, he was unsure of how to interact outside of volleyball. By the time the third years had left and Kageyama had became a second year, he had already gained a reputation of a volleyball obsessed freak who was unapproachable and completely unlikeable.

Desperate for things to go back to how they were, Kageyama turned to volleyball. He remembered how the team would celebrate together, laughing and smiling after a win, and he wanted that to happen more, so he pushed more. He became more demanding of his team. By the time his third year had come, the whole team hated him. Kageyama knew that, but he hadn't known how to fix it, so he tried even harder. He improved more, his tosses became quicker and his serves more powerful, but his team still hated him. Kageyama thought that if they won more, then they wouldn't hate him as much, so he kept pushing and pushing, never realizing that he was just making things worse. When his team finally had enough and when Kindaichi, who was his first friend, gave up on him, Kageyama was consumed by despair. He was put on the bench, and seeing the disappointment on the coaches faces and the sheer relief of his teammates killed him. What made it even worse was the fact that he knew Oikawa would learn about this moment. His hero would learn of this shameful event, and Kageyama had proved him right when Oikawa declared that he would never be a good setter.

After that, Kageyama decided that he would stop playing volleyball. He was terreifed that he would descend back into the pit of despair that he had been stuck in after that fateful game. He had been so horribly depressed, and he hadn't seen a point in living anymore. He tried to replace volleyball with something new, but nothing worked. He had been living a meaningless and joyless life until the day Hinata hit him with a volleyball. Seeing Karasuno's easy camaraderie with each other filled him with a desperate longing, and that scared him. If he allowed himself to play again, he would just destroy the team like he had at Kitagawa. At the same time, he finally felt excited about something again, and even just watching the team filled him with a sense contentment that he hadn't felt in a long time. So he decided that he would do his best, even just by watching and giving Hinata pointers, to support the team.

Hey Guys! It's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you guys liked this chapter. I always felt so bad for Kageyama whenever I watch _the scene_ with Oikawa, and I feel like it definity played a part in Kageyama's change from a cheerful first year to the "King of the Court"


	5. Chapter 5

Kageyama did not know why he continued to watch the practices. He was basically torturing himself with every practice he attended. Watching the team move around, calling out cheerful encouragements as they all strove to improve made his chest ache with the same desperate longing. He wanted to play with them. He missed the easy camaraderie he had when he first started playing back in elementary school. He longed to set up beautiful plays that gave nothing away to the opposing team, one that would steadily rack up points for his team. He wanted to show off the spike serve that he had learned by watching Oikawa. He wanted to be surrounded by volleyball, the sport that consumes all his thoughts. The squeaks of sneakers, the thump of a successful spike, the cries of jubilation and determination as each team strove to win, to become better. No matter how hard he tried, Kageyama could not resist the sirens call. He could not resist volleyball. So he returned to each practice, carefully observing the team. He wrote down suggestions and ideas, and handed them to Daichi-san or Sugawara after practice. He never actually participated, and was careful to interact with the team as little as possible, scared of making some awkward blunder that would drive the team, his only link to volleyball, away.

Kageyama continued his routine. Wake up. Morning run. Shower, breakfast, then school. Watch Karasuno practice. Go home. Watch a recorded volleyball match. Work on the speed of his toss. Practice his serves. Make a half-hearted attempt at his schoolwork, get distracted, and then sleep. His routine was shattered the day that Takeda-sensei announced that Aoba Jousai had offered to arrange a practice match.

The doors of the gym burst open, and Takeda-sensei arrived, doubled over and panting.

"We have a practice match! Aoba Jousai has offered us a practice match!"

The cries of excitement from the team burst forward.

"Wait! There's a condition! Kageyama has to be the setter!"

Kageyama scowled. "I'm not even part of the team!"

Hinata turned towards him, bubbling with excitement. "But you could join! A practice match!" He drifted off.

Kageyama's scowl deepened. "Not interested. Besides, you guys have an experienced setter already. You don't need me." With these parting words, he left the gym.

Tsukishima sneered "It seems like the King of the Court is too scared to play. Perhaps the rumors are untrue."

Daichi cut in with a disapproving stare, "Alright guys, let's just focus on getting ready please. Takeda-sensei, would you mind explaining that Kageyama isn't a part of the volleyball team?"

Takeda nodded, and left to contact Aoba Jousai's coaches, Irihata and Mizoguchi.

\- The Next Day -

The team started warming up, and were running drills when the doors of the gym opened. A tall teenager dressed in a turquoise and white uniform walked in. All activity stopped as everyone turned to stare.

"Hello everyone. I'm Iwaizumi Hajime. I'm here to discuss the practice match with Karasuno's captain."

"That would be me." Daichi stepped forward. "Why don't we go outside?"


End file.
